The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-11
Thunderstorm.
A Professional Opinion of the Bad Effects on
Boys and Young Moa.

Boys and Young Moa.
Chicago Tribune.
Chicago physician who does not care to
have his name used, whose practice is large and
among the better class of people in the city, was
questioned regarding the habit of cigarette
smoking among small boys.
1.-THE extent of the vice cannot be measured. ]"
he said, land Is the cause OF debility
among young boys, and older Ones too, for that
matter than anything else. 1t stunts growth.
weakens the lungs, destroys the nerves, aud
breaks down the constitution. When boys are
growing they need all their strength unimpaired,
but smoking stops it. Boys who smoke soon
lose all desire for exercise, and become listless
pale and morbid; they can't study, lose their
appetites; and their sleep. such tis is
freshing. The countenance becomes pallid, the
eyes dull, and there ls q falling of in flesh. Just
think of mere boy taking this poisonous smoke
into his lungs, for you know rhe chief charm in
smoking cigarettes consist in inhaling the smoke.
have been called in scores of cases to treat lads
affected with throat and lung diseases. and in
the majority of cases have traced their troubles
to cigarette smoking. In every instance where
have found this to be the cause / have informed
the parents of the true state of affairs, except
where [ saw there was no chance to save the
boys life In such case as that it would have
been sheer cruelty and accomplished no good.
There is no penalty too severe for persons who
will sell poison 80 children, some of them hardly
more than mere infants"
Have cases where cigarette-smokng was the
cause of disease or death in large boys young
men ever come unde. your observation ?"
Yes remember distinctly one young man
who had just attained his majority and come
into a handsome property-$2 500 year or So
He had no vices that / ever knew Of except that
of smoking cigarettes, but this he INDUCED
ordnatey He smoked all the time, day and
night. He became pale and thin and could not
sleep: he became nervous that the slightest
thing would set him off; he looked like man
half dead with consumption and yet he came of
family that knew what consumption
WAS. His brain became affected. and he was
the subject of all sorts of hallucinatious. When
I was called in he too far gone do
anything with-he had literally smoked him
self to death. This q where a
young killed by smoking the best
quality of cigarettes; what must be the result
then, where boys smoke those things that are
SO poisonous that their sale ought to be classed
felony instead of misdemeanora / could
20 into technical description of the results OF
the effects upon the sys-
tem-but IL is sufficient to say that cigar
smoking is beneficial compared to it. In
smoking cigarettes the system becomes fairly
soaked the smoke is inhaled and in confirmed
cigarette-smoker you can almost see the nico-
tine oozng out of his skim You can tell q
cigarette-smoker almost soon you set your
eyes upon him, and you smell him, too
several feet away If had boy who smoked
should insist on his smoking cigars pipe,
bnt = ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "